About

Maya culture

Guatemala

Monkey Vessel, 1800 BCE – 250 CE

On View

Earthenware

Dimensions: 4 3/4 × 5 5/16 × 10 5/8 in. (12.1 × 13.5 × 27 cm)

Gift of Robert Drapkin, 2006.105

Monkeys were revered for their connection to the heavens. They could effortlessly come and go between the ground and the highest point of the rain forest, whereas mankind was earthbound. By living close to the heavens, monkeys reaffirmed their status as ancestors who merited respect.